Body-brace.



UNITED STATES JOEL U. ADAMS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BODY-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,124, dated November 25, 1902.

Application filed June 16, 1902.

To all whom, it ntcty concern.-

Be it known that I, JOEL U. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Cincinnati, in the countyof Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Body-Braces; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description thereof, attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with the reference-numerals marked thereon, which form also a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in orthopedical and therapeutical garment appliances where metallic braces like steel bars or springs are used which are attached to and carried by the body of a garment and incased in pockets, so as to form a part thereof, the object being to stiffen said garment more, or less in certain places to suit certain purposes.

My invention-is shown applied to a so-called shoulder-brace, an appliance worn on the back and provided with means,like straps and belts, to hold it in position. The body of the garment appliance consists of suitable fabric, and in certain places the same is provided with bars of steel or other equivalent material to stiffen the body thereat, the object being to prevent, limit, or counteract certain motions in certain directions to correct and straighten abnormal curvatures, &c. It is desirable that such garment should be washed from time to time, which opera tion, however, is greatly interfered with, if not altogether made impossible, by the presence of these'steel bars mentioned, which render the fabric unwieldy for washing purposes. Furthermore, if an attempt should be made to wash these appliances with the steel bars in position the application of water would cause them to rust, whereby the garment would become stained and discolored. To overcome these objections is the aim of this invention, and the same is attained by constructing such an appliance in a certain manner;,which permits quick and convenient removalof these steel bars at any time and for any purpose, as for washing or renewal or to permit a number of such garments to be folded up for packing and shipping, the construction being further such that said bars may be replaced with equal Serial No. 111,83 2. (No model.)

facility by anybody not necessarily skilled in the manufacture of such appliances, so that for washing purposes the user may remove them whenever desirable.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the claim following, is found a full description of the invention, together with its manner of use, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows such a body-brace, being a so-called lace-back shoulder-brace, as it appears when attached in position, parts of a human figure being shown in dotted outline, the device being supposed to be applied to the back of said figure. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 3-is an enlarged cross-section through one of the steel bars and the casing inclosing the same.

In the drawings, 5 indicates the body of the garment, of suitable fabric, there being two sections of it divided on a central Vertical line, the edges thereat being drawn together by a lacing-cord 6, tied at 7, straps 8 having first been passed forwardly over the shoulders and back again under the arms, where at 9 their ends attach to the lateral edges of the garment by suitable means, like buckles, for instance. Below, a belt 10 is provided to hold the garment to the body. To stiffen this garment, there are provided fiat bars 11, of steel or other equivalent material, which may be rigid or more or less elastic and straight or curved or partly either to suit the particular therapeutical purpose intended.

. These bars are disposed to suit requirements and, as shown, they are arranged in an upright direction close to and parallel to the edge of each section where they are laced to each other. To hold them in place, casings are provided for them of material which may be similar to the fabric of the body of the garment. They consist of strips 12 of such fabric, with their edges parallel to the edges of the steel bars and parallel to the upright edges of the sections, but of suflicient width to permit when covering the steel bars a row of stitches 13 to be placed on the outside of each edge of the steel bars, but within the edge of the strip of fabric, said stitches passing through this latter and through the body of the garment, and whereby said casings are completed. At one end, which may be either, these casings are left open to permit introduction or withdrawl of the steel bars. A flap 14 is provided to close this open end, which may also be fabric or leather, which is turned over this open end, so as to close the same, and laps partly up on the outside over the casing, to which outside it is held by any suitable catch device, permitting quick and convenient manipulation for opening or closing the flap to insert or remove a bar. The device I prefer to use for such purpose is the well-known spring-catch used as a glove-fastener and consisting of two cornplementary parts, one being substantially a socket 15 and the other a button 16, received by the former. In Fig. 1 one of these barcasings, the one on the left, is shown open, and the bar is partly pulled out. Parts of said casing further up are also broken out to show the upper end of this bar. The other bar-casing is shown closed. When the bars are so pulled out, as shown, the garment becomes wieldly and pliable and may be readily washed. It also prevents the bars from rusting, since they are not inserted again until the garment is completely dry. The insertion presents no difiiculty and requires no skill, so that the user can readilydo it at any time.

Having described my invention, I claim as new A body-brace, consisting of two sections having parallel rear upright edges, a lacingcord whereby they are connected to each other, means for attaching and holding these two connected sections in position. on the body, a bar to stifien the rear upright edge of each section and to provide for resistance thereat, strips of fabric or similar material stitched at their edges to the upright edges of each section and parallel thereto, they being of sufficient width to permit introduction between the rows of stitches at each one of the edges of one of the bars mentioned, thus providing casings for these latter, one end of each casing being left open to permit insertion or removal of the bar therein, a flap at one end of each of these strips adapted to close the open end of the casing thereat and lap over the outside of such strip and a catch device consisting of two complementary parts, one part being secured to the outside of the strip forming part of the casing and the other to the inner side of the fiap whereby this latter may be held in position to the outer side of the strip forming the particular casing so as to close the open end of the same.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOEL U. ADAMS.

W'itnesses:

C. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE. 

